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No phone calls, cancelled surgeries, Kiely under fire again

CALLS have been made for an elusive councillor to pay his £8,000 allowance back to tax payers.

Labour councillor Aaron Kiely’s poor attendance at council meetings is well known, but following a Freedom of Information request, the Gazette can now reveal he has not made a single call on his council mobile phone in six months.

The council paid out £114 in line rental costs on the phone, which councillors are supposed to use for their work helping residents.

We have also discovered the councillor, who is supposed to be representing the Ockendon ward, did not attend his last ward surgery – and constituents can’t remember the last time he did!

Thurrock Council’s website advertises Cllr Kiely’s surgeries as being on the third Saturday of each month at South Ockendon Community Forum, which meant he was expected on Saturday, November 17.

The 23-year-old’s Twitter page says he was at a Gaza demonstration in London instead.

South Ockendon resident Peter Perrin, 79, is one of the residents fed up with the no-shows and believes Cllr Kiely should pay back his allowance.

He said: “It is obvious Aaron Kiely has no interest in his role as a councillor and is only attending council twice a year in order to qualify for his £8,000 allowance.

“He is accepting public money but not doing the job for which he was elected. He should let someone else do the job.”

Mr Perrin, who was particularly outraged that Cllr Kiely was a no-show at the town’s Remembrance Day service, has also criticised the Labour Party.

He said: “They should withdraw the whip and no longer recognise him as a Labour councillor.

“I believe they are not doing this because the council is so tight and they want to hang onto power.”

Cllr Kiely, who has the poorest meeting attendance rate of all Thurrock’s 49 councillors, has turned up for just two council meetings this year. He is employed as the National Student Union black students’ officer.

He made the news in October when he supported halting the extradition of hate cleric Abu Hamza.

Thurrock Council’s Labour group was asked to comment, but hadn’t as the Gazette went to press.

* THE Conservatives believe Labour leader John Kent must take action against Aaron Kiely “for the sake of his own credibility”.

Comments (4)

This is typical Labour. They've failed in Thurrock where the housing service is absolute rubbish. Thousands of repairs outstanding, properties taking months to let. 3rd worst in the country in education. A hospital doctor death would be proud of. Councillors who laugh at the people who voted for them and take taxpayers cash for doing nothing. If they get back into power nationally we can expect this to continue. Taxpayers cash used to fund labour's pet projects. More mass immigration even though we're now being told we're going to have to concrete over an area the size of Cornwall to house Labour's last wave of immigrants. All done to ensure that Labour have enough voters to govern in perpetuity. Persecution of the British people if they don't agree with the marxists view on multiculturalism like the couple who can no longer foster because they support a political party other than the marxist Labour party. If they can get away with it they'll ban opposition parties like UKIP. Persecution of Israel because they are having to fight a terroist group. One of Comrade Kiely's pet projects and something dear to Labour's heart. Censorship of the press so that they can control what stories get out just like they do in China. An extended welfare state so that they can control earnings and ensure those that still believe in each to their ability are punished through huge taxation rates. You have to applaud Labour voters for being the first generation in over a century that will pass on a legacy to their children and everyone else's of low wages, no hope of owning thier own home, a bankrupt country where basic human rights offorded to immigrants are denied to the British people. Kiely is the tip of the iceberg. A thoroughly rotten to the core iceberg. Labour offer nothing to this country other than corrupt politicians and state control over people's lives. Christmas to Labour is election day when all the turkey's come out to vote for them. Comrade Kent is Kiely's poodle. He'll have to pop round and tickle Kents tummy for this one.

This is typical Labour. They've failed in Thurrock where the housing service is absolute rubbish. Thousands of repairs outstanding, properties taking months to let. 3rd worst in the country in education. A hospital doctor death would be proud of. Councillors who laugh at the people who voted for them and take taxpayers cash for doing nothing. If they get back into power nationally we can expect this to continue. Taxpayers cash used to fund labour's pet projects. More mass immigration even though we're now being told we're going to have to concrete over an area the size of Cornwall to house Labour's last wave of immigrants. All done to ensure that Labour have enough voters to govern in perpetuity. Persecution of the British people if they don't agree with the marxists view on multiculturalism like the couple who can no longer foster because they support a political party other than the marxist Labour party. If they can get away with it they'll ban opposition parties like UKIP. Persecution of Israel because they are having to fight a terroist group. One of Comrade Kiely's pet projects and something dear to Labour's heart. Censorship of the press so that they can control what stories get out just like they do in China. An extended welfare state so that they can control earnings and ensure those that still believe in each to their ability are punished through huge taxation rates. You have to applaud Labour voters for being the first generation in over a century that will pass on a legacy to their children and everyone else's of low wages, no hope of owning thier own home, a bankrupt country where basic human rights offorded to immigrants are denied to the British people. Kiely is the tip of the iceberg. A thoroughly rotten to the core iceberg. Labour offer nothing to this country other than corrupt politicians and state control over people's lives. Christmas to Labour is election day when all the turkey's come out to vote for them. Comrade Kent is Kiely's poodle. He'll have to pop round and tickle Kents tummy for this one.ebagumtrebor

I agree Danny. I have searched the appropriate parts of the council website to see what options are available to sort out this person, but so far have found nothing on conduct of councillors in this context. There must be something that can be done to get him off the council and call a new election. I have something in the back of my mind that suggests a petition of no-confidence from ward electors is an available option, but I am open to correction on this. Of course, the Labour group has an overall majority at the moment and if they were to lose this seat, that majority would disappear, but it could be argued that because of long-term absence of Kiely there is in effect no overall majority anyway.

I agree Danny. I have searched the appropriate parts of the council website to see what options are available to sort out this person, but so far have found nothing on conduct of councillors in this context. There must be something that can be done to get him off the council and call a new election. I have something in the back of my mind that suggests a petition of no-confidence from ward electors is an available option, but I am open to correction on this. Of course, the Labour group has an overall majority at the moment and if they were to lose this seat, that majority would disappear, but it could be argued that because of long-term absence of Kiely there is in effect no overall majority anyway.rogwj

As long as he turns up to one meeting every 6 months he can't be sacked - so a couple of hours sitting in a council chamber every 6 months he gets £8,000 in tax payers cash a year on top of his £20,000 he gets aid as the Black Student Officer with the National Students Union.

As long as he turns up to one meeting every 6 months he can't be sacked - so a couple of hours sitting in a council chamber every 6 months he gets £8,000 in tax payers cash a year on top of his £20,000 he gets aid as the Black Student Officer with the National Students Union.A Dermot